Chapter 419: This Is Only a Part

Chapter 419: This Is Only a Part

In an ordinary household, if one could own a plow ox or raise one or two large fat pigs, it would certainly be considered a wealthy family.

Back when the Cui family was so prosperous in Xiling Village, only the Village Headman's family had a plow ox.

It was used for plowing during the busy farming season and also earned them quite a bit of silver by pulling carts.

But what did they see now?

The Mo family actually drove hundreds of cattle into the village, among which only a dozen were the common yellow oxen. The rest were all black-and-white spotted, completely different from the traditional image of plow oxen. There were also hundreds of sheep and hundreds of fat pigs...

Actually, the villagers didn't understand that the black-and-white spotted ones were dairy cows.

This was because the Great Shun Dynasty had strict control over cattle. Any household with a plow ox had to register it with the government. In other words, plow oxen in the Great Shun had their own "household registration," and slaughtering them without permission was akin to murder.

He Ziran did not want to challenge national policies for profit. It wasn't that she lacked courage, but she believed that breaking the law for a small amount of money was not worth it.

Therefore, the Mo family's ranch mainly raised dairy cows.

The dairy cows produced in her space yielded much more milk than normal dairy cows, and milk was very valuable in this era. Moreover, the milk could be processed into various delicious foods.

In this way, the profit from raising dairy cows would not be less than that from raising beef cattle.

As the herds of cattle, sheep, and pigs were driven toward the foot of the mountain, several dozen ox-drawn carts followed, loaded with chickens, ducks, and geese.

The villagers, who had never seen such a grand scene, gathered around Mo Jiuye.

Village Headman Zhao walked at the front of the crowd.

"Old Nine, have you struck it rich? Buying so many animals."

The village was on Mo Jiuye's way home, and he had anticipated being surrounded by the villagers as he passed through.

Since they didn't plan to hide these livestock and poultry, there was no need to do so.

The ranch was built at the foot of the mountain, adjacent to their farmland.

The farmland was managed by hired workers, and everyone knew that next to it was the Mo family's ranch.

"Uncle Zhao, these are just a part of it. Aren't we country folk supposed to rely on the land and these animals to make a living?"

Mo Jiuye said this to help Uncle Zhao and the villagers recognize the Mo family's identity sooner.

Now, the Mo family was no longer a noble family but ordinary farmers like them, making a living through hard work.

At the same time, he hoped that the next time he transported these animals back, it wouldn't cause such a stir.

He also considered that they might expand their breeding scale in the future and needed to transport more animals to the village, hoping the villagers would take it calmly.

Unfortunately, Mo Jiuye overestimated the villagers' ability to accept this.

They didn't consider the Mo family's current status; they thought the Mo family was a wealthy landlord, a genuine wealthy landlord.

As the saying goes, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and the Mo family perfectly embodied this saying.

Despite being exiled here, they still lived a life of luxury.

Just how much silver would all these animals be worth?

Even if they were given just one cow or one sheep, the villagers would consider them the wealthiest family.

"What? You mean... this is just a part?"

Village Headman Zhao's expression was particularly exaggerated, his mouth wide open, unable to close it for a long time.

The other villagers were the same, focusing on Mo Jiuye's statement, "This is just a part." After Village Headman Zhao asked, they all stared at Mo Jiuye, waiting for his answer.

Faced with these simple villagers, Mo Jiuye felt helpless. He didn't intend to be ostentatious, but he couldn't avoid the villagers' attention when transporting the animals back. He had hoped that by mentioning it beforehand, they would be mentally prepared, but it seemed to have backfired.

However, he still nodded, "Yes, this is just a small part. In the future, there may be even more livestock and poultry transported back."

The ranch was large, and the current number of animals was insufficient.

Moreover, the Mo family now had a large household to support, including Tao Ran and his family, who had settled in Xiling Village. Although they had been allocated some of the Cui family's farmland, it was only enough for subsistence, and improving their quality of life was nearly impossible.

Besides, Tao Ran and his men were principled individuals who were unwilling to accept the Mo family's charity without contributing.

Now, they were not just ordinary villagers in Xiling Village. The recent invasion by barbarians constantly reminded the Mo family to remain vigilant and always be prepared for defense.

Tao Ran and his former comrades now took on this responsibility, patrolling and guarding daily in addition to helping with their own chores.

For this, Mo Jiuye planned to pay them monthly salaries as he did when they were stationed at the border, but Tao Ran and his men refused to accept it.

Tao Ran said, "Our lives belong to Ninth Master. We will serve the Mo family without any complaints, even if it means working like oxen and horses. How can we let Ninth Master spend his own money to pay us?"

No matter how Mo Jiuye tried to reason with them, explaining that their families needed a good life, they refused to accept it.

Led by Tao Ran, the former comrades said that the Mo family had already provided them with housing and farmland, which was more than enough.

Especially considering the Mo family's current situation, having been exiled by Emperor Shunwu, how much better could their lives be compared to theirs?

They were willing to follow the Mo family because of the camaraderie formed through shared hardships, and they did not want to be a burden.

But to Mo Jiuye, this meant something else.

Tao Ran and his men were loyal to him and his family, especially after surviving the ordeal of becoming drug warriors. Mo Jiuye cherished their bond even more.

It wasn't just about providing them with houses and farmland; he was willing to support their families for a lifetime, willingly.

Mo Jiuye's actions were not merely putting on a brave face. The finances of both the Great Shun treasury and the Southern Frontier treasury were stored in his wife's spatial realm. It wasn't just about supporting them for life; even supporting an entire city's population would be manageable.

Unfortunately, he couldn't openly reveal this, so he had to find other ways to help them.

Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran agreed that raising livestock was the best way to assist them.

Tao Ran and his companions were all skilled in martial arts and would inevitably join the secret army in the future, but they had many family members.

Raising animals was not a difficult task; even half-grown children could tend to cattle and sheep, while women could take care of chickens, ducks, and geese. Even some of the healthier elderly could manage it.

Therefore, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran decided to entrust the management of the livestock farm to the families of Tao Ran and the other former subordinates.